Exploring the University of Arizona Campus Arboretum

Exploring the University of Arizona Campus Arboretum

As a Land Grant school, the University of Arizona not only has a commitment to education and research, but also to outreach. In other words, the unique charge we have, which sets us apart from other schools, is our mandate to apply our research and educational expertise toward addressing practical needs of greatest interest to the state. (Some say the land grant schools are where science goes to work!) In Arizona, agriculture, resource conservation, and economic growth are challenges that have historically been very high priority. Since 1891, when the UA first opened its doors to students, the campus grounds have served as a living laboratory for horticultural research experimentation addressing the need to find crops and landscape ornamentals adapted to extreme conditions of an urban Sonoran desert setting (ie. heat, freezing, drought, high light, poor soil, air pollution etc.). Because of this long-standing interest in resolving the challenges of sustainable horticulture, the campus contains more than 7000 trees representing more than 400 unique tree species from arid-regions of every wooded continent, many of which are more than 100 years old, one-of-a-kind in Tucson or the Southwest and, at least one, is the only flowering specimen of its kind in the western hemisphere.  This rare and valuable collection of trees not only provides resources for research and education but also provide a means to communicate the lessons we’ve learned through 125 years of experimentation to Arizonans as well as throughout other arid cities of the world.

The historical and educational value of this unique collection resulted in the establishment of an arboretum. In 2002, all the trees on the main campus were designated as an Arboretum by the American Public Garden Association. This official designation now places a responsibility on the Campus Arboretum to assist with preserving existing trees, introducing new plants to promote biodiversity, providing guidelines for sustainable tree care and landscape management, documenting tree histories, and providing tools and programs to educate students and the public about sustainable urban horticulture.  To help you understand the special role of “Plants and Your World”, this exercise will guide you in learning about the Land Grant Mission, the synergy existing between public gardens and land grant schools. You will also learn how to use the Campus Arboretum website to locate any of the 7000 trees currently in our inventory and find out about resources and opportunities available to UA students interested in urban tree conservation and stewardship.

Weblinks:Before completing the assignment, visit the weblinks provided:

The Land Grant mission

Public Gardens: http://tinyurl.com/Public-Gardens

UA History: http://tinyurl.com/UACA-History

 

Assignment:

Copy the questions below into a separate document. Provide a clearly worded, succinct and grammatically correct response below each question.  Submit your completed assignment as a MS Word .doc into the appropriate D2L Dropbox by the due date.

1. Where is the UA Campus Arboretum?

 

2. How many acres does the UA Campus Arboretum cover?

 

3. Describe some of the benefits or advantages you have seen and experienced by having access to a diverse and beautiful campus landscape? (If you need help thinking about what trees provide for urban dwellers, see treepeople.org/resources/tree-benefits )

 

 

 

 

 

4. Visit the UA Campus Arboretum site to access the GIS Map (Under “Find TreesAnd Tours” Tab) Select the Search Tool on the site (magnifying glass) to find the following information:
   1. Zoom in on the map using the “+” and “-“ buttons. Click on one of the trees on the east side of the Speech and Hearing Sciences building. List one of these species names (include the scientific and common name)

 

 

 

 

 

1. Under “Search Arboretum Map”, click on the menu icon (triple bars) in the top left corner. Select the “Search”tab. Select the tab that says “By ID” at the top of the search field.

What species is accession #3470?

 

 

1. Find the species description of this plant by checking the box in the search results field, and then clicking on “more info” in the fly out image/box on the map. Describe one of the ways this plant is useful to humans (see the ethnobotany section of the species description).

 

 

1. Under “Search Arboretum Map” select the tab labelled “Full”. Type in the common name “Monk’s Pepper”. What species name does this refer to?

 

How many of these trees (accessions) can be found on campus?

 

 

1. Only two Genera have a specific epithet name of “speciosa”. Can you find out which two Genera? List the complete species name that includes the Genus and specific epithet. Also indicate the corresponding common names for each species.

 

 

5. In the main menu on the map, select “Tours”. On the Campus Arboretum home page, click on the tab that reads “Search Trees and Tours”. This will bring you to a page that allows you to “Search Trees By Characteristic”. Select Plant Height = 11 – 15 feet; Growth Rate= Moderate, and Color = Pink. How many species on campus fall within those criteria? Name one:

 

 

 

6. Under the “Find Trees and tours” tab, click on the tree tours to find the schedule of public tours offered by the Tree Steward docents?

When Is the next guided tree tour?____________________________

 

 

 

7. What is one example of a self-guided tour available online or in booklet form?__________________

 

 

 

 

 

8. Find information on the self-guided tour booklets available for check out. Where can these booklets be found to check out? ___________________________________

 

 

9. The Campus Arboretum provides botanical signs all over campus to encourage campus members and community to learn about trees. The new signs have a QR code that will allow students to scan them with their smart phones or other device to find a variety of information about that tree. From the Tree Tours link (under the Find Trees and Tours Tab), go to the Edible Landscapes tour description. From here you can find a link to the mobile tour. Provide the tour stop number and name of one of the plants included in this tour.

To take a mobile tour, download the QR code reader. To get started, see the helpsheet here.

10. What produce has the Campus Arboretum harvested with the LEAF Network on campus?

 

 

 

11. Name one event hosted jointly by the Campus Arboretum and the Poetry Center?

 

 

 

12. What is a Florilegium? Describe what the partnership with the Sonoran Desert Florilegium Program will create?